EWING — The College of New Jersey administration knew it would be difficult replacing the 37 years of head football coaching experience lost when Eric Hamilton resigned on July 18, especially with the start of fall practice less than a month away.

However, a diligent effort by a TCNJ search committee, working under self-imposed deadline pressure, uncovered a coach with 40 years of experience at the professional, Division I and Division II levels.

Tuesday TCNJ announced Wayne Dickens, who spent the last four seasons as the head coach at Division II Kentucky State University, would replace Hamilton as head coach, serving the 2013 season with an interim title.

A native of Orange and a 1973 Rutgers University graduate, Dickens has extensive experience on the offensive side of the ball.

“I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to lead a program with the storied history that TCNJ football has built,” Dickens said in an athletic department press release.
“Football has always been fun for me and anyone who has been in the game for a long time loves the game. I don’t anticipate it will be easy, but I am excited to get started and catch up so we are prepared for camp in two weeks.”

TCNJ also announced the hiring of Rocky Hager, who won a pair of Division II national championships as the head coach at North Dakota State in 1988 and 1990, as full-time interim assistant coach. Hager most recently served as the defensive line coach at Bryant University.

“We feel like we found two men with an abundance of experience and balanced experience,” TCNJ athletic director John Castaldo said. “We feel both men have strong football pedigrees and that was important to the institution.”

While TNCJ ultimately hired one coach for each side of the ball, Castaldo said that wasn’t really the plan.

“It just worked out that way,” Castaldo said. “Our first goal was to hire the best candidate available and we had a robust pool of candidates to choose from. We wanted a coach who had a proven record of running a program and we think we found that. We wanted a coach who would maintain and build upon the athletic and academic traditions of the institution.”

Castaldo met personally with the TCNJ team captains about the two hires Tuesday.

“It’s a relief to have a coaching staff and now we can just focus on getting back on the field,” said senior linebacker Nick Bricker, a Middletown South High School graduate. “It was nerve-wracking while the search was going on, but there was nothing we could do about it.

“From the brief overview we got from Mr. Castaldo yesterday, it appears the head coach and assistant have a tremendous background in football. It’s very exciting for all the players, and I know it is going to be good for our program.”

Dickens had two winning seasons at Kentucky State and finished with a four-year record of 17-25. The TCNJ release did not indicated whether Dickens resigned or was terminated at KSU.

Dickens broke into the collegiate ranks at the University of Washington as a defensive line and linebackers coach. He coached special teams and linebackers at the University of San Diego before moving into the role of wide receiver’s coach. Dickens was named offensive coordinator at Morehouse College in Atlanta before assuming the same role at Norfolk State University.

After spending the 2008 season as wide receiver’s coach at Kentucky State, Dickens was named interim head coach of the Thorobreds in 2009. As head coach at KSU, he also served as the team’s offensive and special team’s coordinator in the 2009, 2010 and 2011 seasons.

Dickens also has experience at the professional level, serving as the wide receivers coach for the British Columbia Lions of the Canadian Football League. During his tenure, the Lions qualified for the CFL playoffs. He also served as an offensive intern with the Chicago Bears in 1996 and 1997.

Hager, who turns 62 on Aug. 29, was a part of four national titles at North Dakota State. He also was the head coach at Northeastern University in Boston and a seven-year assistant at Temple University, where he coached quarterbacks, linebackers, tight ends and slot receivers.

Dickens and Hager both will have interim tags attached to their titles for one season.

Castaldo said TCNJ is in the process of hiring a vice president for student affairs, a position that includes the overseeing of the athletic department. Castaldo said the TCNJ administration would like the new vice president to have a say in the permanent hiring of the two football coaches.

“I know both men are very excited and very eager,” Castaldo said. “They understand the situation (with the interim tags).”

The players are anxious, too.

“This shows the commitment by the school to the football program,” Bricker said. “It’s the kind of support we all need.

“I know the players are excited and looking forward to getting started and getting back to trying to win a lot of games.”

Hamilton, 56, guided TCNJ to a 212-144-6 record in 37 seasons, including seven postseason appearances. He became only the 12th coach in Division III history to reach 200 wins in 2010.